Pro: The sisterhood Savannah shared with Ashley was really wonderful. These two were pretty adorable together, and supported each other through their parents' divorce and their mother's weight loss journey. They were so much more than sisters to one another, they were best friends, and even though Ashley was away at college, she was there when Savannah really needed her. Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears. Raised in what he affectionately calls “our little honesty cult,” Michael Leviton was ingrained with his parents’ core philosophy: You do not tell any lies; you do not withhold the truth; and you speak your mind always, regardless of how offensive or hurtful your opinions may be. For young Michael, this freedom to be yourself—despite being bullied and ostracized at school—felt liberating. By the time Leviton was 29 years old, he had told three (what most people would consider) lies in his entire life. The only thing I'm disappointed about is George. I am so torn about George. On one hand he was such a great guy for the majority of the book; they had such an adorable friendship and I'm thrilled that they were able to have a sweet high school romance without necessarily defining their relationship and having it overshadow Savannah's excitement for attending university in the fall.

To Be Honest by Nelle Starling | Goodreads To Be Honest by Nelle Starling | Goodreads

I’m sorry that someone taught you to hate yourself because of your body somewhere along the way, but I’m not going to let you pull me down with you." Martha does not apologise, ever. She soon learns that if she wants others to cooperate, she must apologise for her behaviour. Lilly loves school, her teacher, and her purple plastic purse. When her teacher, Mr Slinger, confiscates the purse, she plans her revenge. She draws a mean picture of Mr Slinger but soon feels remorse and sets out to make amends.

I liked Savannah and thought she was definitely a fun protagonist--she has a strong voice and she's just a great person that you'd want to be friends with. I think Savannah herself is probably the best part about this book, because she really feels super genuine. Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.

Books about Honesty and Trust Fascinating Children’s Books about Honesty and Trust

To Be Honest is the kind of book I needed to read at this moment, but missing a lot to reach the potential it had.I wish that the subplots (one about Savvy's journalism investigation and the other about Savvy's mother) had been better developed, but I think YA readers will enjoy this! Savannah is such a wonderful character. She is happy, friendly, funny, and smart. I am OVER the sarcastic, sassy, closed-off girls that are rampant in YA. I want to read about someone that I would actually be friends with! And I want girls to know that they are free to be fun and silly and people will like them! You don't need to be sullen or fluent in biting sarcasm to be interesting! We worked in a scared silence, taking a few moments longer to complete each task than necessary. If we admitted that we were done, we’d have to admit that it was time to leave. I don’t think Mom had good-bye on her epic list of dorm move-in responsibilities. No matter how many blogs she read or careful notes she took, nothing could prepare us for leaving. Jasper Rabbit loves carrots, especially free ones; this is until the carrots begin stalking him and watching his every move. The tension builds as Jasper’s imagination goes into overdrive. He devises a plan to stop the carrots but will it be the success he hopes for?

TO BE HONEST | Kirkus Reviews TO BE HONEST | Kirkus Reviews

No one taught Leviton social norms when he was growing up, and adults cannot figure out how to explain them to a child this literal. Everyone tells him he's doing it wrong but they can never give him a good reason. So he continues into adulthood, someone who says everything he thinks, and who sees the world through a critical eye, where everyone else is "most people" who are willing to believe anything. Pro: Grace and Savannah were a great team, and I always love a healthy and positive female friendship. To Be Honest breaks down the ways criticism masked as concern can be so harmful to young women. And it’s an empowering reminder to love our bodies, regardless of size." — HelloGigglesLOVE RELATIONSHIP - including extended families - are COMPLICATED! It’s amazing anyone ever stays together! I have to start off by talking about the HEALTHY fat rep of of main character Savannah. I know having a fat girl on the cover on a book that isn't called something like "Fat Girl on a Plane" or "Blubber" meant so much to so many people. Me included. Btw, not shading those books - it's just hard being a fat girl and all the books that include you having an embarrassing title. At least that is how I feel. I hope we see a lot more healthy representation like this on covers. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

HONEST | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary HONEST | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

Oh, yikes, I’m sorry,” the girl at the door said. She had her hair pulled up in a messy bun that was leaning haphazardly to one side of her head. “I was just wondering if you had any extra duct tape that I could borrow? A cord on my microwave frayed. Don’t tell the RA or whatever, because it might be a fire hazard, but I definitely don’t have time or cash to get a new one. That’s too much information. BLAH. Hi. My name is Yael.” Jenn still misses her beloved dog, who went missing a long time ago. She finds a lost dog who she calls Roscoe, and grows to love him. When she spots a missing poster for Roscoe, she has to make a very difficult decision.I really loved all the female relationships in this book. She has such a lovely and healthy relationship with her sister and her best friend. Both are supportive and loving and even when they have an argument it's not the end of the world and they figure it out. In YA novels, we see too many poor examples being shown of strong, healthy female friendships. Women are usually pitted against each other and competitive, this is not the case at all in the book. It gives me the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it - please give us more of this! This is what we should be showing young people as the standard, not the exception. News flash: fat isn’t a bad word, Mom. It’s the twenty-first century. I have blue eyes. I have blond hair. I’m fat. Literally nothing about my life is changed because that word is associated with my physical appearance. I’m sorry that someone taught you to hate yourself because of your body somewhere along the way, but I’m not going to let you pull me down with you.” I think she put one on hold at the Target nearby so she doesn’t have to lug it up here with her. Don’t worry, she sent me options and we mutually agreed on one,” Ashley said. Hey,” Ashley said, pulling away from our hug. “I’m Ashley. This is my little sister, Savannah, and my mom.” I have never read a book about a plus-size protagonist who didn't want to lose weight, nor has the story line ever involved anything other than the protagonist being fat. It was so freaking refreshing to read about Savannah, who is totally happy with her body the way it is. And what's even better is that this book isn't about Savannah being fat. Instead, it's about a toxic mother-daughter relationship, a high school romance, and an awesome take down of misogynistic gym teacher! Wow! It's like a plus size character was actually allowed to have a regular story without their weight defining them. What a concept!